"If it's too loud, you're too old"

Are you still going to see the concerts of bands from the 1990s?  Do you now have to make the decision of either going to see Queensryche or Geoff Tate's group that performs Operation Mindcrime? Or is the dilemma to see Live even though Ed Kowalczyk is no longer the front man? Van Halen or Van Hagar (what do you think it would it take to get Michael Anthony to come back to play)?  There are lots of choices when it comes deciding where to spend your concert dollars (with music), but hopefully your music decisions do not get any harder than this.  

Now, as my friends and I get older, the decisions seem to be geared towards where is the show and when does it start?  Ideal circumstances are venues in walking distance or a 10-20 minute drive.  And of course checking out small intimate shows (with hundreds of people as opposed to thousands) are more preferable than driving out to an outdoor pavilion that is closer to Weirton, WV than it is Monroeville, PA, but nothing seems to draw more hesitation these days than the headlining act having a 10:00 PM set time.  I have learned that I am not alone in wondering the answers to these questions.

In a 2013 Journal of Personality and Social Psychology report, a team of psychologists at the University of Cambridge, designed a study to look at how our music-listening habits and attitudes toward music change over the course of our lives.  The Cambridge psychologists recruited over 9,000 people online and one thing that they examined was the contexts in which people might listen to music: at home alone, at home with friends, out with friends, at work, in the car, or doing housework.  Interesting to note is that the most common context was in the car, followed by home alone – and unfortunately not a live concert.  At the same time, younger respondents registered that they were more likely to listen to music in public.

The research does not show whether these differences are due to aging or generational shifts; but I would agree with the thought that listening to music on mobile devices, buying individual tracks on iTunes and walking around with headphones has undoubtedly changed the way we relate to music, which again and regrettably, ties back to the desire to go or not to go see live music.  

Thankfully, I believe the most recent and difficult musical decision that I have been faced with was whether or not to go see Lake Street Dive at Hartwood Acres or Band of Horses at Stage AE this past July 20.  And you will have to (re)read my post from December 2014 to see which concert I attended. 

Where does this leave me and my 35-45 year old friends as we seek out shows in 2015?  Well, I just booked the two bands Rake and the Braddock Brothers at Stage AE on Saturday, April 18.  Doors open at 7:00 PM ;).

Thanks for reading.